In Grace and Beauty
by CocoMingo
Summary: One-shot, written for Clair-de-Neptune/Tetrahedral-Heart. The crown she wears weighs heavily on Aurora's head. Maleficent reminds her that beauty is found in duty. In turn, the Queen of the Two Kingdoms teaches the faerie that she is beautiful, too.


"**A crown to wear in grace and beauty; as is thy right, and royal duty."**

* * *

The Moors were never completely silent nor dark, even at dusk. It was Aurora's favorite time of the day in the land of the faeries. One could walk along the calming waters of the central lake and tributaries, or rest easy against an ancient tree trunk and simply _exist._

Though some of the Fair Folk often stayed awake late into the night, some existed to the eye only after the sun had set. Tonight, the young Queen of the Moors had decided on a particularly lavish area of moss growing over roots at the base of an aged oak. She and Maleficent had sat here often to converse during their early evenings together – before she knew of the faerie's name, or about the curse; before the weight of the world seemed to sit upon her shoulders. Or in Aurora's case, her head.

After adjusting her skirts comfortably around her legs, she sighed in relief. The nocturnal faeries that loved to skate rainbows across the surface of the waters bounded with joy at the sight of their monarch. Dancing their airy, white bodies across the waves, the Ashrays created beautiful displays of magic for Aurora. They had entranced her upon her first journey into the Moors. Now two years later, she often depended on the calming influence of the lulling, gliding lights to soothe the stress of ruling the human kingdom before she was able to go to sleep.

Reaching up to her flowery diadem, Aurora gently removed it to place aside her. It was feathery light - made of faerie gold – and yet, she just wanted to relish in the feeling of being without a crown. Running her fingertips through the intricately twisted hairstyle that had edged the crown, she groaned. Whatever was holding the pleats in place was tangled, and no amount of tugging was going to release it.

A gust of air and a quiet, throaty chuckle would have announced Maleficent's presence beside her, if not for the cool, willowy fingers that caressed the young woman's temples before tangling themselves into her hair. In short time, the impossible hairstyle was coaxed out. The faerie's fingers continued to brush through the golden curls, nails lingering just long enough against Aurora's scalp to simultaneously relax her, and give her gooseflesh.

As Aurora's breath caught in her throat, the fingers pulled back swiftly. Maleficent sat beside her on the moss covered roots, but made no attempt to look anywhere but at the landscape. Serene, regal eyes surveyed the Moors with satisfaction, but her hands brushed at her brown velvet robes that matched the iridescent, tawny umber wings that had folded primly behind her back. Long mahogany laid over one shoulder, and even the faerie's horns seemed to gleam in the moonlight. Strangely, they were accented not by leather cap and wrappings as Aurora had long grown used to, but were adorned with silver and gold coils.

It was in such stark contrast to the thick black robes that the Protector had worn prior to regaining her wings, and Aurora's violet-blue eyes drank in the scene of natural beauty.

Maleficent seemed to sense the heavy gaze, and slid her green and amber eyes in the direction of the Queen without moving her noble face. "Is something perplexing you, Beastie?"

Blushing at being caught, Aurora's chin dipped a bit. "I was just admiring your countenance," she peeped shyly before turning back towards the lake.

"Mmm," the faerie mused aloud, her ruby lips pursed into a smirk. Deciding to _admire Aurora's countenance _back_, _her sharp white teeth flashed into a quick grin as the human woman hunched slightly under her stare.

Aurora looked over her shoulder and made a rude gesture with her tongue. "All right, all right. I apologize for staring," she giggled. Still, the giddiness that erased some of the worry lines from her peachy skin did not clear them all.

Leaning back in an effort to appear nonchalant, Maleficent raised an eyebrow. "Whatever has your brow furrowed this evening? I know you only sit here when it has been a bad day with the _humans._"

Always one to make light of her own suffering, the Queen of Two Kingdoms shrugged. "It has merely been a tiresome month altogether. So many things to fix, and so many people to care for..." she generalized.

"The crown weighs heavily on you," Maleficent surmised, tilting her head in thought. "That is not necessarily a bad thing. While it is your right to wear it, the weight reminds you of your royal duty." While she would not speak it aloud, she was secretly pleased that Aurora took ruling so seriously. The sunshine-bright woman was so very different than her father.

Aurora grinned at Maleficent's wisdom. "You should know better than I; having to care for the Moors while trying to escape my father's many attempts to destroy you _and_ the lands. I know that the Moors technically rule themselves, but the responsibility must have felt so great..."

A deep chuckle escaped the red lips then, as Maleficent shook her head. "It's not as if I could wear a crown anyhow," she rationalized, motioning to her horns.

Startling a bit, Aurora turned slowly to face the faerie, her expression awed. "You told a joke!" she crowed, slapping at a knee.

Frowning as she rolled her eyes, Maleficent turned away and curled her wings protectively around her shoulders. It was evident that she took Aurora's teasing as a mild insult. "I _do _have a sense of humor, however ill appreciated," she groused.

The human Queen bit at her rosy lips and twisted skirts between her fingers nervously at the reaction. A simple apology would only pique the faerie worse. Her heart burning with the need to soothe the offense, Aurora's hands wandered from her lap to run lightly over the silken hair that was turned towards her. "But then, if you could wear a crown, I doubt you'd wear these coils around your lovely horns. They are so very elegant..."

It was truth she spoke – the beaded and twisted metal braces that adorned Maleficent's horns _were _becoming, and didn't overshadow their wild allure.

Scoffing, Maleficent turned back around. "Now I know that you mock me. However _elegant _my mother's torcs [1] are, they do not make my horns _lovely..._"

Becoming excited at the information and opportunity to change the subject, Aurora jumped up and moved from foot to foot. "Your mother's torcs? Do they mean anything?"

Rising gracefully in opposition to Aurora's animated movements, Maleficent pressed her lips together. The eighteen year old would act like a noble born lady one moment only to swing into a dithering mess the next when dealing with any displeasure on her part, and she felt sorry for disturbing the girl's peace with her suddenly foul mood.

She'd never considered her horns anything but ghastly – a tool to frighten enemies, and a constant reminder of the evil she sensed still lurking just beneath her skin. However she viewed them, Maleficent knew that she ought not have set the most precious piece of her heart on edge by being angry.

Golden furls of magic released from her fingertips, and she looked upwards towards where the largest torc laid closest to her hair on the right horn. The magic swirled around the gilt metal to enlarge it, and slid the coil smoothly over the length of the horn and into her palm. Aurora watched the entire spectacle with wonder, her sweet lips hanging open and eyes aglow.

Now the size of Aurora's dainty wrists, the torc was worked by Maleficent's magic to fasten around the girl's right arm as the faerie's gentle hands held it aloft. "Yes, they're very dear to me. Just like you," she granted a wry smile. "They are a symbol of my parentage; my noble birthright in these lands."

"Oh!" Aurora gasped, her cheeks flaring pink once more. "Then why give it to me?"

Maleficent rubbed lightly at where the torc lay against the young Queen's wrist before placing it back alongside the woman's skirts. "You are Queen of the Moors. I have four to... _make my horns lovely," _her voice curled warily around the words. "Why should you not have one to accent your radiance?"

Overcome with emotion at the small victories gained by Maleficent's response, Aurora clasped her palms against the faerie's cheeks. Leaning on tip toe, she pressed a kiss to a sharp cheekbone before rocking back to her heels.

It was Maleficent's turn to blush, and Aurora thought there was nothing more stunning than the sight – not the ashray fairies or their watery rainbows, nor the sea of stars that blanketed the sky.

Emboldened by the action, Maleficent reached forward to press a thumb against the maiden's bottom lip, releasing it from the teeth that had been biting in nervousness.

She returned the kiss softly, aiming not for the softness of her Queen's cheek, but for the lush curve of her mouth that breathed the word _"Beautiful_."

* * *

1 Torc - A torc is a large rigid or at least stiff ring of decorative metal, made either as a single piece or from strands twisted together. For the Iron Age Celts, a gold or silver torc seems to have been a key object, identifying the wearer as a person nobility or high rank, and many of the finest works of ancient Celtic art are torcs. Often worn around the neck, they were also worn as armbands or bracelets. The Celtic God Cerunnos, also known as The Horned God of fertility, wore torcs on his horns.


End file.
